The dawn of the Heroic Age in the Marvel Universe and the reestablishment of one of the classic names in super-heroism in Avengers #1 from Brian Michael Bendis and John Romita, Jr., gave Marvel Comics the top spot on the comics sales chart in May.

In total, Marvel had four of the top ten books for the month. In additon to Avengers #1 at #1, Siege #4 — the conclusion to the best-selling crossover event — ranked #2, Secret Avengers #1 ranked #4, and Uncanny X-Men #524 — part of the X-Men event Second Coming — ranked #10.

DC Comics rounded out May's top ten with six times. Led by Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #1 at #3, it was followed by Brighest Day #1 at #5, Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #2 at #6, Brightest Day #2 at #7, Green Lantern #54 at #8, and Batman and Robin #12 at #9.

TOP 100 COMIC BOOKSBased on Total Unit Sales of Products Invoiced in May 2010

QTYRANK

DOLLARRANK

INDEX

ITEM CODE

DESCRIPTION

PRICE

VENDOR

1

1

262.70

MAR100516-M

AVENGERS #1

$3.99

MAR

2

2

182.36

FEB100421-M

SIEGE #4

$3.99

MAR

3

3

174.00

MAR100178-M

BATMAN RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #1

$3.99

DC

4

4

171.14

MAR100566-M

SECRET AVENGERS #1

$3.99

MAR

5

7

165.65

MAR100159-M

BRIGHTEST DAY #1 (*)

$2.99

DC

6

6

150.06

MAR100181-M

BATMAN RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #2

$3.99

DC

7

9

144.68

MAR100161-M

BRIGHTEST DAY #2 (*)

$2.99

DC

8

10

141.55

MAR100163-M

GREEN LANTERN #54

$2.99

DC

9

11

136.02

MAR100183-M

BATMAN AND ROBIN #12

$2.99

DC

10

15

123.53

MAR100587-M

UNCANNY X-MEN #524

$2.99

MAR

11

5

123.31

FEB100435

NEW AVENGERS FINALE #1

$4.99

MAR

12

14

122.74

MAR100171-M

FLASH #2

$2.99

DC

13

8

114.64

FEB100427

DARK AVENGERS #16

$3.99

MAR

14

19

110.34

MAR100164-M

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #48

$2.99

DC

15

26

103.96

MAR100593-M

X-MEN LEGACY #236

$2.99

MAR

16

25

100.21

MAR100596-M

X-FORCE #27

$2.99

MAR

17

12

100.14

MAR100173-M

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #45

$3.99

DC

18

23

100.00

MAR100185

BATMAN #699

$2.99

DC

19

27

99.04

MAR100577-M

THOR #610 EPILOGUE

$2.99

MAR

20

13

97.60

FEB100436

SENTRY FALLEN SUN

$3.99

MAR

21

29

92.93

FEB100481-M

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #630

$2.99

MAR

22

30

91.76

MAR100499-M

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #631

$2.99

MAR

23

33

90.94

MAR100501-M

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #632

$2.99

MAR

24

16

90.61

MAR100471-M

ASTONISHING SPIDER-MAN WOLVERINE #1

$3.99

MAR

25

17

88.86

MAR100473-M

ASTONISHING X-MEN XENOGENESIS #1

$3.99

MAR

26

39

85.97

MAR100546-M

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #26

$2.99

MAR

27

18

85.49

MAR100497

ULTIMATE COMICS NEW ULTIMATES #2

$3.99

MAR

28

20

84.87

MAR100496

ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS 2 #2

$3.99

MAR

29

37

81.41

MAR100165-M

JUSTICE LEAGUE GENERATION LOST #1

$2.99

DC

30

38

80.84

MAR100169-M

BIRDS OF PREY #1

$2.99

DC

31

21

79.55

MAR100540-M

HULK #22

$3.99

MAR

32

40

79.49

MAR100590-M

NEW MUTANTS #13

$2.99

MAR

33

41

77.52

MAR100199-M

SUPERMAN WAR OF THE SUPERMEN #1

$2.99

DC

34

24

74.82

MAR100542-M

INCREDIBLE HULK #609

$3.99

MAR

35

48

74.25

MAR100604-M

DARK WOLVERINE #86

$2.99

MAR

36

45

72.86

MAR100047-M

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #35 TWILIGHT PT 4

$2.99

DAR

37

46

71.87

MAR100201-M

SUPERMAN WAR OF THE SUPERMEN #2

$2.99

DC

38

47

71.68

MAR100167-M

JUSTICE LEAGUE GENERATION LOST #2

$2.99

DC

39

28

71.20

MAR100210-M

LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #1

$3.99

DC

40

50

69.03

MAR100203-M

SUPERMAN WAR OF THE SUPERMEN #3

$2.99

DC

41

56

68.55

MAR100490-M

DEADPOOL #23

$2.99

MAR

42

51

68.03

MAR100205-M

SUPERMAN WAR OF THE SUPERMEN #4

$2.99

DC

43

57

66.92

MAR100599-M

X-FACTOR #205

$2.99

MAR

44

31

66.53

MAR100186

DETECTIVE COMICS #865

$3.99

DC

45

32

66.35

MAR100505

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #37

$3.99

MAR

46

35

64.21

FEB100426

SIEGE EMBEDDED #4

$3.99

MAR

47

36

63.63

MAR100498

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #10

$3.99

MAR

48

22

62.51

MAR100603

WOLVERINE #900

$4.99

MAR

49

60

61.59

MAR100532-M

FANTASTIC FOUR #579

$2.99

MAR

50

61

61.17

FEB100432

AVENGERS INITIATIVE #35

$2.99

MAR

51

64

58.15

MAR100192

RED ROBIN #12

$2.99

DC

52

68

57.71

MAR100606-M

WOLVERINE ORIGINS #48

$2.99

MAR

53

43

56.88

MAR100601

X-MEN SECOND COMING REVELATIONS BLIND SCIENCE #1

$3.99

MAR

54

42

55.78

MAR100195-M

ADVENTURE COMICS #11

$3.99

DC

55

44

55.20

MAR100176-M

DC UNIVERSE LEGACIES #1

$3.99

DC

56

71

54.01

MAR100234-M

ZATANNA #1

$2.99

DC

57

52

53.82

MAR100534-M

AGE OF HEROES #1

$3.99

MAR

58

49

53.46

MAR100602

X-MEN HELLBOUND #1

$3.99

MAR

59

74

53.35

MAR100579-M

THUNDERBOLTS #144

$2.99

MAR

60

171

52.94

MAR100293-M

IZOMBIE #1 (MR)

$1.00

DC

61

75

51.38

MAR100194

SUPERMAN BATMAN #72

$2.99

DC

62

34

50.85

MAR100174-M

TITANS VILLAINS FOR HIRE SPECIAL #1

$4.99

DC

63

54

50.25

FEB100546-M

MARVELS PROJECT #8

$3.99

MAR

64

53

50.09

MAR100225

JUSTICE LEAGUE THE RISE OF ARSENAL #3

$3.99

DC

65

55

49.22

FEB100158-M

FIRST WAVE #2

$3.99

DC

66

76

49.18

MAR100495

DEADPOOL MERC WITH A MOUTH #11

$2.99

MAR

67

58

47.73

MAR100609

WOLVERINE WEAPON X #13

$3.99

MAR

68

62

47.64

MAR100584

THANOS IMPERATIVE IGNITION #1

$3.99

MAR

69

83

47.04

MAR100564-M

SECRET WARRIORS #16

$2.99

MAR

70

82

46.77

MAR100551-M

IRON MAN LEGACY #2

$2.99

MAR

71

81

45.92

MAR100190

BATGIRL #10

$2.99

DC

72

66

45.38

MAR100530-M

DOOMWAR #4

$3.99

MAR

73

85

45.27

MAR100492

DEADPOOL CORPS #2

$2.99

MAR

74

63

44.58

MAR100544-M

FALL OF HULKS SAVAGE SHE-HULKS #3

$3.99

MAR

75

65

44.27

FEB100477

ULTIMATE COMICS ENEMY #4

$3.99

MAR

76

90

42.61

MAR100493-M

DEADPOOL TEAM-UP #893

$2.99

MAR

77

67

42.50

MAR100296-M

AMERICAN VAMPIRE #3 (MR)

$3.99

DC

78

59

42.15

APR100869

KEVIN SMITH GREEN HORNET #4

$3.99

DE

79

73

42.12

MAR100480-M

DARK TOWER GUNSLINGER JOURNEY BEGINS #1

$3.99

MAR

80

92

41.73

MAR100188

GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #12

$2.99

DC

81

69

40.79

MAR100187

BATMAN STREETS OF GOTHAM #12

$3.99

DC

82

97

40.79

MAR100231

WONDER WOMAN #44

$2.99

DC

83

70

40.57

MAR100219

JSA ALL STARS #6

$3.99

DC

84

98

40.37

FEB100403

WALKING DEAD #72 (MR)

$2.99

IMA

85

72

40.01

MAR100228

TEEN TITANS #83

$3.99

DC

86

100

37.49

MAR100526-M

BLACK WIDOW #2

$2.99

MAR

87

80

36.70

MAR100557-M

MARVEL ZOMBIES 5 #3

$3.99

MAR

88

84

36.48

MAR100522-M

ATLAS #1

$3.99

MAR

89

89

36.18

MAR100042-M

HELLBOY IN MEXICO OR DRUNKEN BLUR ONE SHOT

$3.50

DAR

90

103

35.80

MAR100230

SECRET SIX #21

$2.99

DC

91

77

35.59

MAR100615

PUNISHERMAX #7 (MR)

$3.99

MAR

92

86

35.49

MAR100536

ENTER THE HEROIC AGE #1

$3.99

MAR

93

78

35.44

MAR100537-M

AVENGERS ORIGIN #2

$3.99

MAR

94

104

34.88

MAR100217

BRAVE AND THE BOLD #34

$2.99

DC

95

99

34.43

MAR100873

BOYS #42 (MR)

$2.99

DE

96

107

33.15

MAR100221

POWER GIRL #12

$2.99

DC

97

115

33.02

MAR100581-M

VENGEANCE OF MOON KNIGHT #8

$2.99

MAR

98

87

32.66

MAR100508

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN PRESENTS AMERICAN SON #1

$3.99

MAR

99

88

32.66

MAR100539

HEROIC AGE PRINCE OF POWER #1

$3.99

MAR

100

114

32.61

MAR100222

BOOSTER GOLD #32

$2.99

DC

This information may not be reproduced in any format without the express permission of Diamond Comic Distributors.

For retailers, Diamond offers the Top 300 Comics and Top 300 Graphic Novels sales charts on the Diamond Tools page of the Diamond Retailer Services website to provide more information about the industry's top selling publications.

How does Diamond calculate the charts? It all starts at the comic book shop.

Data for Diamond’s sales charts – which include the monthly market shares and all top product charts – are compiled by Diamond Comic Distributors from a universe of over 3,500 accounts, comprised of comic book specialty shops and other merchant stores and buyers. The shops are primarily located in North America, with a percentage of sales also to international stores and buyers located throughout the world. The account base includes not only brick-and-mortar comic book specialty shops, but also Internet stores, chain stores, and other specialty stores.

Unit and dollars sales are calculated based upon orders invoiced and shipped to Diamond accounts during any given month, which comprises initial pre-orders, advance reorders, and reorders, minus any copies that are received back from a title marked as returnable.

About the Diamond Sales Index: The Sales Index of selected monthly Best Seller Charts is presented as a comparative tool for retailers and publishers. It presents Diamond’s monthly sales for individual titles in relation to Diamond’s total sales for the issue of DC Comics' monthly Batman comic book. (Batman is used as the control title – with a value of 100 – because sales of Batman usually remain relatively stable.) This allows for easy comparison to other titles and helps retailers gauge their orders for all other titles. This formula is only a guide, other factors may impact a titles’ ability to sell in certain locations and clientele.